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{We herein report on the calculation of thermoluminescence (TL) kinetic parameters determined from the TL emission of synthetic GdAlO3 (GAO) phosphors prepared by the co-precipitation method. The sample, characterized by means of X-ray diffraction with an orthorhombic phase structure (space group Pnma (62), shows complex glow curves consisting of at least four groups of components peaked at 100, 140, 240, and 290 {\deg}C where the two lower overlapped temperature peaks are difficult to identify using the $T_M-T_{stop}$. The coexistence of a continuum in the trap distribution (linked to the lower temperature peaks) and a discrete trap system (associated with the components at temperatures higher than 200 {\deg}C) can be distinguished. The estimation of the TL kinetic parameters is performed using GlowFit, TLAnal, the spreadsheet Origin, Computing Glow Curve Deconvolution (CGCD), and various heating rate (VHR) methods. However, only CGCD appears as the suitable technique for such purpose since it provides information on the TL physical process supported by mathematical models based on a linear combination of functions related to the First Order Kinetic approach., Comment: 27 pages, 6 figures and 1 table

The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) accelerator at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has been in service for over 50 years. Efforts to update and modernize crucial systems, many of which are origi-nal, are ongoing. This paper reports on the refurbishment of the Low-Level Radio Frequency (LLRF) Resonance Control Water System (RCWS) for the half-mile long Cavity-Coupled LINAC (CCL). The RCWS controls the resonance frequency of the cavities by controlling the temperature of the cooling water delivered to each of 44 accelerator modules. Of the 44 modules making up the CCL, 20 now have an upgraded RCWS. Upgrading in-cludes removing the old hardware and installing new components including: water pumps, mix tanks, valves, temperature switches, flow switches and plumbing. This paper describes the design of the new system, material and component selection, installation, and technical challenges., Comment: Talk presented at LLRF Workshop 2023 (LLRF2023, arXiv: 2310.03199)

In May 1997 a consistent part of the services and structures committed to the industry had already been released to the commissioning group. The telescope itself was, with the exception of the Nasmyth derotators, motors and all the optics groups, basically ready in its mechanical parts to accept the integration of all services and control equipment. Also the verification of the cabling (interlocks, data-nets, power and controls) already mounted was started in the same period. Starting from June 1998 (telescope first-light date) the telescope went gradually in use, several nights per week, in order to test and tune the tracking and pointing system, the optics and the first derotator system (Nasmyth A station). At the end of the commissioning period and with the first scientific instruments mounted (April 1999) also the first routinely observations started. In this moment the telescope is doing astronomy 80% of time and the complete first-light instrumentation is mounted., Comment: 14 pages

We report an extended measurement of the neutron cross section on argon in the energy range of 95-720 MeV. The measurement was obtained with a 4.3-hour exposure of the Mini-CAPTAIN detector to the WNR/LANSCE beam at LANL. Compared to an earlier analysis of the same data, this extended analysis includes a reassessment of systematic uncertainties, in particular related to unused wires in the upstream part of the detector. Using this information we doubled the fiducial volume in the experiment and increased the statistics by a factor of 2.4. We also shifted the analysis from energy bins to time-of-flight bins. This change reduced the overall considered energy range, but improved the understanding of the energy spectrum of incoming neutrons in each bin. Overall, the new measurements are extracted from a fit to the attenuation of the neutron flux in five time-of-flight regions: 140 ns - 180 ns, 120 ns - 140 ns, 112 ns - 120 ns, 104 ns - 112 ns, 96 ns - 104 ns. The final cross sections are given for the flux-averaged energy in each time-of-flight bin: $\sigma(146~\rm{MeV})=0.60^{+0.14}_{-0.14}\pm0.08$(syst) b, $\sigma(236~\rm{MeV})=0.72^{+0.10}_{-0.10}\pm0.04$(syst) b, $\sigma(319~\rm{MeV})=0.80^{+0.13}_{-0.12}\pm0.040$(syst) b, $\sigma(404~\rm{MeV})=0.74^{+0.14}_{-0.09}\pm0.04$(syst) b, $\sigma(543~\rm{MeV})=0.74^{+0.09}_{-0.09}\pm0.04$(syst) b., Comment: 15 pages, 7 tables, 11 figures. Prepared for submission to PRD

We present a new photometric calibration of the WFC3-UVIS and WFC3-IR detectors based on observations collected from 2009 to 2020 for four white dwarfs, namely GRW+70~5824, GD~153, GD~71, G191B2B, and a G-type star, P330E. These calibrations include recent updates to the Hubble Space Telescope primary standard white dwarf models and a new reference flux for Vega. Time-dependent inverse sensitivities for the two WFC3-UVIS chips, UVIS1 and UVIS2, were calculated for all 42 full-frame filters, after accounting for temporal changes in the observed count rates with respect to a reference epoch in 2009. We also derived new encircled energy values for a few filters and improved sensitivity ratios for the two WFC3-UVIS chips by correcting for sensitivity changes with time. Updated inverse sensitivity values for the 20 WFC3-UVIS quad filters and for the 15 WF3-IR filters were derived by using the new models for the primary standards and the new Vega reference flux and, in the case of the IR detector, new flat fields. However, these values do not account for any sensitivity changes with time. The new calibration provides a photometric internal precision better than 0.5% for the wide-, medium-, and narrow-band WFC3-UVIS filters, 5% for the quad filters, and 1% for the WFC3-IR filters. As of October 15, 2020, an updated set of photometric keywords are populated in the WFC3 image headers., Comment: 38 pages, 23 figures, accepted for publication on the Astronomical Journal

Two-dimensional materials (2DMs) are a promising alternative to complement and upgrade high-frequency electronics. However, in order to boost their adoption, the availability of numerical tools and physically-based models able to support the experimental activities and to provide them with useful guidelines becomes essential. In this context, we propose a theoretical approach that combines numerical simulations and small-signal modeling to analyze 2DM-based FETs for radio-frequency applications. This multi-scale scheme takes into account non-idealities, such as interface traps, carrier velocity saturation, or short channel effects, by means of self-consistent physics-based numerical calculations that later feed the circuit level via a small-signal model based on the dynamic intrinsic capacitances of the device. At the circuit stage, the possibilities range from the evaluation of the performance of a single device to the design of complex circuits combining multiple transistors. In this work, we validate our scheme against experimental results and exemplify its use and capability assessing the impact of the channel scaling on the performance of MoS2-based FETs targeting RF applications., Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures

This manuscript describes the commissioning of the Mini-CAPTAIN liquid argon detector in a neutron beam at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE), which led to a first measurement of high-energy neutron interactions in argon. The Mini-CAPTAIN detector consists of a Time Projection Chamber (TPC) with an accompanying photomultiplier tube (PMT) array sealed inside a liquid-argon-filled cryostat. The liquid argon is constantly purified and recirculated in a closed-loop cycle during operation. The specifications and assembly of the detector subsystems and an overview of their performance in a neutron beam are reported., Comment: 21 pages, 27 figures

Graphene-based devices are planned to augment the functionality of Si and III-V based technology in radio-frequency (RF) electronics. The expectations in designing graphene {field-effect} transistors (GFETs) with enhanced RF performance have attracted significant experimental efforts, mainly concentrated on achieving high mobility samples. However, little attention has been paid, so far, to the role of the access regions in these devices. \mbox{Here, we analyse} in detail, via numerical simulations, how the GFET transfer response is severely impacted by these regions, showing that they play a significant role in the asymmetric saturated behaviour commonly observed in GFETs. We also investigate how the modulation of the access region conductivity (i.e., by the influence of a back gate) and the presence of imperfections in the graphene layer (e.g., charge puddles) affects the transfer response. The analysis is extended to assess the application of GFETs for RF applications, by~evaluating their cut-off frequency., Comment: 12 pages, 8 figures

We report the first measurement of the neutron cross section on argon in the energy range of 100-800 MeV. The measurement was obtained with a 4.3-hour exposure of the Mini-CAPTAIN detector to the WNR/LANSCE beam at LANL. The total cross section is measured from the attenuation coefficient of the neutron flux as it traverses the liquid argon volume. A set of 2,631 candidate interactions is divided in bins of the neutron kinetic energy calculated from time-of-flight measurements. These interactions are reconstructed with custom-made algorithms specifically designed for the data in a time projection chamber the size of the Mini-CAPTAIN detector. The energy averaged cross section is $0.91 \pm{} 0.10~\mathrm{(stat.)} \pm{} 0.09~\mathrm{(sys.)}~\mathrm{barns}$. A comparison of the measured cross section is made to the GEANT4 and FLUKA event generator packages., Comment: 5 pages, 1 table, 3 figures, submitted to Physical Review Letters

This is the second paper of a series making use of Herschel/PACS spectroscopy of evolved stars in the THROES catalogue to study the inner regions of their circumstellar envelopes (CSEs). We analyze the CO emission spectra, including a large number of high-$J$ CO lines (from $J$=14-13 to $J$=45-44), as a proxy for the warm molecular gas in the CSEs of a sample of bright carbon-rich stars spanning different evolutionary stages from the Asymptotic Giant Branch (AGB) to the young planetary nebulae (PNe) phase. We use the rotational diagram (RD) to derive rotational temperatures ($T_{\rm rot}$) and masses ($M_{\rm H_2}$) of the envelope layers where the CO transitions arise. We also obtain a first order estimate of the mass-loss rates and assess the impact of the opacity correction for a range of characteristic envelope radii. We use multi-epoch spectra for the well studied C-rich envelope IRC+10216 to investigate the impact of CO flux variability on the values of $T_{\rm rot}$ and $M_{\rm H_2}$. PACS sensitivity allowed the study of higher rotational numbers than before, indicating the presence of a significant amount of warmer gas ($\sim$200-900 K) not traceable with lower-$J$ CO observations at sub-mm/mm wavelengths. The masses are in the range $\sim10^{-2}-10^{-5}\,\rm M_{\odot}$, anti-correlated with temperature. For some strong CO emitters we infer a double temperature (warm $T_{\rm rot}\sim$400 K and hot $T_{\rm rot}\sim$820 K) component. From the analysis of IRC+10216, we corroborate that the effect of line variability is perceptible on the $T_{\rm rot}$ of the hot component only, and certainly insignificant on $M_{\rm H_2}$ and, hence, the mass-loss rate. Therefore, the parameters derived from the RD are robust even when strong line flux variability occurs, with the major source of uncertainty in the estimate of the mass-loss rate being the size of the CO-emitting volume., Comment: accepted in A&A

A theoretical-experimental methodology for failure analysis of the c-Al0.66Ti0.33N / Interface / M2 steel coating system is proposed here. This c-Al0.66Ti0.33N coating was deposited by the arc-PVD technique. For coating modeling the traction-separation law and the extended finite element method-XFEM were applied, the cohesive zones model was used for interface modeling and the Ramberg-Osgood law for substrate modeling. Experimental values using the instrumented nanoindentation technique, the scratch test and tensile stress test were obtained and introduced into the model. By means of nanoindentation the elastic modulus of coating, the fracture energy release rate and the nano-hardness. Normal and shear stress values of the interface were obtained with the scratch test, at the adhesive and cohesive critical loads. Vickers indentation was used to generate cracking patterns in the c-Al0.66Ti0.33N / Interface / M2 steel coating system. Radial and lateral cracks were generated and analyzed after transversal FIB cuts of the fracture zones. A finite element analysis was carried out to understand the relationship between the load-displacement curve and mechanical failure of in the system, associating the pop-in with nucleation, crack growth and cracking pattern. This works present a theoretical-experimental methodology for failure analysis of hard coatings (monolithic body) allowing to calculate fracture toughness of the coating material and model cracking patterns caused by contact mechanics.

We provide a numerical proof of concept of a stabilization mechanism for BAS laser sources. The scheme is based on the simultaneous introduction of in-phase two-dimensional modulations on the refractive index and pump (gain). We numerically proof total stabilization in BAS laser sources, both in space and time. We also examine the interplay between the index and gain modulations and the effect of the slow relaxation of carriers on the stabilization performance., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

We show that the emission of broad area semiconductor amplifiers and lasers can be efficiently stabilized by introducing, two-dimensional periodic modulations simultaneously on both the refractive index and the pump (gain-loss) profiles, in the transverse and longitudinal directions. The interplay between such index and gain-loss modulations efficiently suppresses the pattern forming instabilities, leading to highly stable and bright narrow output beams from such sources. We also determine the stabilization performance of the device as a function of pump current and linewidth enhancement factor., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

This is the first of a series of papers presenting the THROES (A caTalogue of HeRschel Observations of Evolved Stars) project, intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the spectroscopic results obtained in the far-infrared (55-670 microns) with the Her- schel space observatory on low-to-intermediate mass evolved stars in our Galaxy. Here we introduce the catalogue of interactively reprocessed PACS (Photoconductor Array Camera and Spectrometer) spectra covering the 55-200 microns range for 114 stars in this category for which PACS range spectroscopic data is available in the Herschel Science Archive (HSA). Our sample includes objects spanning a range of evolutionary stages, from the asymptotic giant branch to the planetary nebula phase, displaying a wide variety of chemical and physical properties. The THROES/PACS catalogue is accessible via a dedicated web-based inter- face (https://throes.cab.inta-csic.es/) and includes not only the science-ready Herschel spectroscopic data for each source, but also complementary photometric and spectroscopic data from other infrared observatories, namely IRAS (Infrared Astronomical Satellite), ISO (Infrared Space Observatory) or AKARI, at overlapping wavelengths. Our goal is to create a legacy-value Herschel dataset that can be used by the scientific community in the future to deepen our knowledge and understanding of these latest stages of the evolution of low-to-intermediate mass stars., Comment: 38 pages